Need a Lift? Volunteers Are Giving Free Cycling Rides to Seniors — Here’s How to Get One
Though it’s finally warm outside, some seniors are still spending all their time indoors. The need for air conditioning and a comfy chair is more than understandable when a person reaches a certain age. However, many seniors stay inside not because they want to, but because they don’t have enough free, fun, and senior-friendly activities in their area. Thankfully, Cycling Without Age is changing that.
Invented in 2012 in Copenhagen, Denmark, Cycling Without Age is a nonprofit organization that helps seniors and people with disabilities enjoy free bike rides. Seniors ride in something called a “trishaw,” a two-person bench on the front of the bicycle, while a cyclist steers and bikes in the back.
The organization was created by Ole Kassow, whose goal is to create a better world through kindness and happiness. Since Cycling Without Age launched, it is now available for free in almost every part of Denmark. Volunteer cyclists simply sign up to give free rides, and people who want to contribute in other ways can pay for a trishaw or donate to the cause via Paypal.
Cycling Without Age in the USA
Naturally, Kassow’s incredible initiative spread across the globe and is now in the US. To find out whether there is a Cycling Without Age chapter near you, visit this map on the website. Chapters that already have trishaws have green and white icons, while chapters that are not yet up in running have gray icons. The states that currently have up-and-running chapters include:
- California
- Connecticut
- Colorado
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kentucky
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- Texas
- Utah
- Virginia
- Washington
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Scroll below the map to see which cities in these states have local chapters.
Whether you choose to volunteer your time as a cyclist or would like to take a ride yourself, you’ll be supporting a great cause. Independent research from the Aging Lab at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh found that participants had better moods, stress levels, and energy levels on biking days as opposed to non-biking days. You could say this nonprofit is giving seniors a lift in more ways than one.
